MacRumors

The 1394 Trade Association announced a new S3200 specification that will deliver speeds up to 3.2 gigabits per second over FireWire. This represents a four-fold improvement over the existing FireWire 800 specification found in current Macs.

The new specification builds on the existing 1394b standard by using the same cables and connectors that are already deployed in existing FireWire 800 products. S3200 is expected to be ratified by early February.

"The S3200 standard will sustain the position of IEEE 1394 as the absolute performance leader in multi-purpose I/O ports for consumer applications in computer and CE devices," said James Snider, executive director, 1394 Trade Association. "There is a very clear migration path from 800 Megabits/second to 3.2 Gigabits/second, with no need for modifications to the standard and no requirement for new cables or connectors."

The increased bandwidth would permit S3200 to transmit uncompressed high definition signals over long distances at a lower cost than HDMI.

The GarageBand 4.1.1 update yesterday introduced an unexpected feature -- the creation of custom (free) Ringtones for the iPhone.

An Apple support document details the procedure:

To create a custom ringtone
1. Set up a cycle region that covers the area you wish to use in the GarageBand song. Note: This area must be 40 seconds or less in length.
2. Once the cycle area has been set, choose Share > Send Ringtone to iTunes.

Requirements
- GarageBand 4.1.1 or later
- iTunes 7.5 or later
- iPhone with software version 1.1.2 or later

Apple introduced Ringtone support into iTunes and the iPhone in September of this year. The feature, however, was originally limited to converting iTunes Store songs at the price of $.99/each. A number of workarounds and 3rd party utilities have since appeared to fill the gap for free custom iTunes ringtones, but each iTunes revision has caused issues with these tools.

Apple has released QuickTime 7.3.1, which addresses a number of security issues. The release is available for Windows, Leopard (10.5), Tiger (10.4), and Panther (10.3) and available in your software update.

This update is recommended for all QuickTime 7 users and addresses a widely publicized security flaw in QuickTime revealed by Symantec. Details of this and other security fixes are listed in this support document.

Apple is featuring a new Christmas themed 'Get a Mac' advertisement on the front page of their website at Apple.com.

The new ad depicts "Mac" and "PC" as stop-motion-like animated characters whose voices are still played by actors Justin Long and John Hodgman, respectively. The two characters sing "Santa Claus is Coming to Town" with a Mac vs PC twist.

Appleinsider claims that "dark grey" or "gunmetal" colored slim notebooks have been spotted at Apple campus.

Though noticeably thinner but otherwise similar in size to the company's 13-inch MacBooks, the notebook appeared to have a metallic sheen to it, which set it apart from the current black MacBook.

The report is reminiscent of a 9to5mac report that indicated that new MacBook enclosures made of black and silver aluminum had previously been spotted by their sources.

Rumors of a sub-notebook laptop have been building as we approach Macworld San Francisco. Our rumor roundup summarizes the predictions to date.

A Microsoft blogger revealed yesterday that the next version of Windows ("Windows 7") will contain touch features with specific claims that the new features will 'blow away' the current touch features on the iPhone:

I will say that if you are impressed by the "touch features" in the iPhone, you'll be blown away by what's coming in Windows 7.

The blogger, Hilton Locke, is a Windows test engineer for the Tablet PC which explains his involvement with touch technologies. Microsoft has already integrated some touch features into Vista with support for current Tablet PCs as well as HP's TouchSmart PC, but it appears more advanced features will come with Windows 7. This successor to Windows Vista, however, is not expected to be released until 2010 at the earliest.

Even then, touch features would only be available to manufacturers who take advantage of the new features. Locke suggests that convincing manufacturers to adopt Windows Touch Technology has been difficult.

In May, Microsoft announced their Surface Computing initiative with the introduction of commercial multi-touch tables due in 2008.

Multitouch technologies have been a hot topic since the introduction of the Apple iPhone, with several patent applications indicating that Apple is heavily researching its use. The current incarnation of the iPhone supports two points of contact, allowing the user to zoom in and out using "pinch" and "reverse pinch" motions with two fingers. More advanced multi-touch possibilities include gestures and multi-purpose surfaces.

This Apple Job description (as noted by Daringfireball) invites qualified software engineers to apply for a job at Apple working on new technologies and user interface concepts for "iPhone[s], cameras and remote controls."

HID SW is responsible for delivering the firmware and software for Apples Input Devices, such as Multi-touch for iPhone, cameras, and remote controls. The team is a key part in driving an integrated customer experience involving new HW and SW designs, working with creative, smart people, world-class products and cutting edge technologies.

Of course, the job description is understandably vague, but does seek out applicants specifically with "strong interest in human-computer interaction" and "a proven ability to bring new user interface concepts to life". The reference to cameras and remote controls, however, raise some interesting possibilities.

After the introduction of the multi-touch iPhone and a series of patent applications exploring alternative input methods, it seems that Apple has been paying a lot of attention to the future of user interfaces. Many of the recent patent applications focus on advanced gesturing and unique touch surfaces.

There's been some suggestion that the upcoming sub-notebooks might see some touchpad improvements, though this has been particularly vague.

Engadget posts a photo claiming to be an upcoming TomTom GPS module for the iPhone.

The poor quality image depicts a small add-on device which plugs into the bottom of the iPhone. Meanwhile, the screen shows a typical GPS view.

The validity of the photo itself is difficult to assess, however, its been rumored that select developers may already have access to Apple's upcoming SDK. It's conceivable that Apple has selected key hardware manufacturers to ready new iPhone accessories.

Update: Said to be fake.